Report: Big Ten athletic directors call for penalty against Michigan, Jim Harbaugh suspension discussed

One day after Big Ten coaches met with commissioner Tony Petitti about the sign-stealing allegations against Michigan, conference athletic directors did the same, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel reported. Just as the coaches did, the ADs called for the league to take action against the Wolverines and shared support for whatever decision the conference makes on a penalty.

It’s still unclear what direction the Big Ten will go regarding a possible punishment against Michigan. One possible direction could be to suspend head coach Jim Harbaugh rather than punish the players in what was described as the “cleanest” and most likely penalty if one comes down, according to Yahoo Sports.

To stay on top of ALL Michigan news, join The Wolverine today for just $1

Petitti has the authority to punish Michigan because of the Big Ten’s sportsmanship cause, which is about the “integrity of competition” in the “competitive arena,” if the discipline is “standard” or “major.”

“Standard action includes a fine not exceeding $10,000 and a suspension of no more than two contests,” Dellenger and Wetzel wrote. “Major action is anything exceeding those penalties and is subject to approval from the Big Ten executive board of presidents.”

The next big question about the situation is how long the NCAA’s investigation will take. Three weeks ago, the NCAA opened an inquiry into the Wolverines, and ESPN later reported it centered on analyst Connor Stalions. He has been suspended with pay pending the results of the investigation.

According to Yahoo Sports’ report, Petitti said the NCAA is putting the sign-stealing inquiry on an “accelerated” path.

The call between Petitti and the athletic directors came a day after he met with the coaches. Harbaugh was on the call initially while they went over regularly scheduled conference business, but later hung up so Petitti and the others could speak freely about the situation, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported.

Thamel said multiple coaches urged Petitti to take action during the “intense and emotional” conversation, which lasted about an hour after Harbaugh left.

“Collectively, the coaches want the Big Ten to act — right now,” a source told Thamel. “What are we waiting on? We know what happened.”

Multiple other allegations have come out related to the sign-stealing allegations, including reports that Stalions bought tickets to multiple Big Ten and potential College Football Playoff opponents’ games. Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson reported Stalions bragged about having signs as part of the “Michigan Manifesto.”

Michigan is in the midst of a dominant start to the season, taking an 8-0 record into Week 10 after the bye week. The Wolverines are also right in the thick of the College Football Playoff race, coming in at No. 3 in the first CFP rankings of the year. But the question remains how the sign-stealing allegations will impact Michigan’s standing regarding the Playoff. Both executive director Bill Hancock and committee chairman Boo Corrigan said it’s an “NCAA issue, not a CFP issue” and said the committee will continue to look at what happens on the field when deciding the rankings.

“Michigan’s played well all season,” Hancock said on a conference call after the top 25 reveal. “The fact of the matter is no one knows what happened. The NCAA’s dealing right now with allegations only. The committee makes its judgments based on what happened on the field, and clearly Michigan has been a dominant team.”